Friday, February 3, 2012

Sour Start

My friend, Jim Sartain, whom I have never met, by the way, sent me via Cousin Jan a little container of sourdough starter. I may not know him by sight but anyone who gives you sourdough starter - twice! - is a friend in my book. Because he had done this once before and I killed it with neglect, this time I was determined to erase that sour start by trying new things with it and keeping it alive for a little while at least.

So, when pondering what to contribute to pal Sari's cheese party, I thought of that sourdough starter and decided to try Tarte Flambée made with a crust of sourdough pizza.

In addition to the sourdough crust, I tweaked my recipe a little, dotting the crust with goat cheese after brushing it with olive oil, and topping that with pre-sautéed pancetta lardons and pre-caramelized onions. I heated my new pizza stone in the oven and slid in my masterpiece once the stone was hot.

The tarte baked to crusty, tangy-sweet, oniony, meaty perfection in less than 10 minutes. It even got a little blistery around the edges, and that may just be my favorite part. I let it cool on the counter for about half an hour while I showered and changed for the party, then transported it right on the pizza stone, which kept it warm on the trip to Sari's.

At the party, I cut it into small wedges, which disappeared in a twinkling. I may have had a sour start to working with sourdough but it's all sweetness and light now.

Chilebrown, give me a call if you find a moment free, and I'll meet you or you can come here - either way. We should be home most of the weekend - no big plans except there might just be a football game on Sunday... Or would your inlaws enjoy a trip to the Kensington Farmer's market on Sunday - Fat Daddy's barbecue will be there...

Cookiecrumb, it would give me hat hair.

Ms Mouse, ask around and see if someone can give you some starter to try before you dive in. It can be addictive.